


Different Tracks

by ognawk



Category: Daria (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, See Jane Run
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-14
Updated: 2014-04-24
Packaged: 2018-01-19 08:57:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1463374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ognawk/pseuds/ognawk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daria and Jane fall out over Jane's participation in the track team at Lawndale High.  One night, Trent persuades Daria to go to The Zon to see Mystik Spiral perform.  While there, she meets an interesting boy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Daria and all associated characters are owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only and no money or other goods have been exchanged.

Daria and Jane were in the hallway at Lawndale High. Jane had made the track team recently, and there were perks that went with that, including Jane getting a bye on a Math test, which infuriated Daria.  
  
“Hey, you watched TV with me instead of going to gym,” Jane pointed out.  
  
“So?” Daria responded.  
  
“So, that was a perk of being on the team. The math test was another.”  
  
“You don’t see any difference?” Daria asked in disbelief.  
  
“Yeah, the math test was a hell of a lot better.”  
  
“Give me a break,” Daria said, walking away.  
  
As Daria left, Evan, one of Jane’s team mates, walked up behind her.  
  
“What’s up with your friend?” Evan asked.  
  
“Oh, I rubbed her self-righteousness the wrong way,” Jane answered.  
  
“I don’t know why you hang out with her.”  
  
“What do you mean?” Jane asked, looking at him.  
  
“Well, you're sort of a sports star now. If she's not happy that you're popular for doing well at something you like, then she's just a loser.”  
  
Jane thought about it for a moment. She had been a lot more popular with people lately, and much to her surprise, she didn’t hate it. In fact, she kind of liked it.  
  
“Yeah, I guess you have a point,” she said.  
  
“I’m glad you see it my way,” Evan said as the two of them walked off together.

* * *

  
Daria was lying on her bed, deep in thought. She hadn’t had a conversation with Jane in a few weeks. Not since they had a big argument over Jane’s continued participation in track team, which ended in a big rant from Jane.  
  
“You know what your problem is, Morgendorffer? You’re being pissy because I’m not conforming to your ideal of misanthropy. I tried something new, I liked it, and I continue to like it. I don’t want to stick around you if you’re going to snipe and bitch at me for doing something different. I’ve realised that if you don’t try something new, you might miss out on something you didn’t know you liked. But you know, if you want to continue to mope and mock people for joining in, then go ahead. You’re going to be very miserable.”  
  
Daria had only ever seen Jane with Evan, who she was now dating. Daria had tried to apologize, but Jane ignored her, so she just gave up. Her thoughts were interrupted by Jake shouting from downstairs.  
  
“Hey, kiddo, there’s someone on the phone for you,” he shouted.  
  
Daria was surprised. For me? She picked up the phone next to her bed.  
  
“OK, I got it!” she shouted down, as she heard the click of the downstairs phone, “Hello?”  
  
A familiar voice came from the other end. “Hey, Daria.”  
  
“Hey, Trent,” she replied wearily.  
  
“How you holding up?” Trent asked.  
  
“Not so good. I tried talking to Jane, but she’s ignoring me.”  
  
“She’ll come around, Daria. Don’t worry about it.”  
  
“I hope she does.”  
  
“Hey, the Spiral are performing a set this Friday at The Zon if you wanna come along.”  
  
Daria thought about it. “I don’t know. Will Jane be there?”  
  
“Nah, she’s going out with that Evan guy.”  
  
Of course, Daria thought.  
  
“Come on, Daria, I’ll give you a lift. What do you say?” Trent asked.  
  
“Alright. I guess I won’t think about Jane so much if my ears are bleeding.”  
  
Trent laughed and started coughing. “Good one, Daria. See you Friday.”  
  
“Yeah. See you, Trent.”

* * *

  
  
Daria was stood in the middle of The Zon, soda in hand while Mystik Spiral were playing on stage. I guess it’s good to get out of the house once in a while, she thought. She didn’t notice that, at the side of the Zon, a guy was watching her. She turned around and noticed him midway through Mr Normal. He had medium length dark hair and was dressed in a black jumper, grey pants and black and white sneakers. The guy smiled as Daria looked back at him, unsure what to make of him.  
  
 _Hey Mr. Normal, it was you!_  
  
“We’re Mystik Spiral, and that was the end of the first set. We’ll be back later for another set,” Trent said as the band left the stage.  
  
At that point, the guy who smiled at Daria walked over to her. Wonder what his deal is, she thought to herself, gotta admit, though, he is kinda cute.  
  
“Hey,” the guy said.  
  
“Hi,” Daria replied.  
  
“You a fan of the band?” he asked.  
  
“Actually, I’m more into techno country. What about you?”  
  
“I’m more an industrial classic man. If you listen closely enough, you can actually hear the guitars screaming.”  
  
Daria chuckled at that comment.  
  
“So seriously, why are you here?” he asked.  
  
“My friend is in the band,” she replied.  
  
“Cool. My name’s Tom, by the way,” he said.  
  
 _I’m Esmerelda_ , she thought. “I’m Daria,” she said.  
  
“Nice to meet you, Daria,” Tom said with a smile, “You here with anyone?”  
  
“No, I came with the band. I’m their stylist. And their style is ‘Post Nuclear-Apocalypse’”  
  
Tom laughed at that. Daria found herself smiling too.  
  
“So, you wanna go get something to eat?” Tom asked.  
  
“Do you have a car or something?” she replied.  
  
“Well, if you can call a rusting, potentially explosive heap of junk on wheels a car, then I guess so.”  
  
 _I don’t like the sound of that_ , she thought. Then she remembered Jane’s words.  
  
 _“If you don’t try something new, you might miss out on something you didn’t know you liked.”_  
  
“Sure, I could go for some dead meat right about now,” Daria replied, as she saw Trent approaching, “Just let me tell Trent.”  
  
“Hey, Daria,” he said.  
  
“Hey Trent. This is Tom. We’re heading out for something to eat, but we’re probably going to miss the second set.”  
  
“Don’t worry about it, Daria. I wouldn’t stay for the second set myself if I wasn’t in the band.”  
  
The three of them chuckled.  
  
“OK, see you later, Trent.”  
  
“Bye, Daria,” Trent said as he watched Daria and Tom leave together and smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Daria hang out again, and she has to deal with rumours going around school about her.

Tom parked his rusty old Pinto in front of the Morgendorffer house and got out. He took a brief look around before walking up to the door and ringing the doorbell. After a short wait, the door opened and Tom was greeted by a forty-something looking man with brown hair and dressed in a suit.  
  
"Hey there, young man," he said enthusiastically.  
  
"Oh, hi, you must be Mr. Morgendorffer. Is..."  
  
Before Tom could finish his sentence, the man turned to the stairs and shouted "Quiiiii-iiin! Your daaaate is heeeere!"  
  
"Er, actually..." Tom managed to get out before he walked away.  
  
"I didn't have a date scheduled," a voice muttered as Tom was now greeted by a redhead dressed in a pink baby tee and jeans, who he assumed was the aforementioned Quinn.  
  
Quinn assessed the newcomer very quickly. Hmm. He's really cute. Those clothes look scruffy but they are top of the line, he must be rich. I bet he has a great car, too.  
  
"Hi! So, where are you taking me? I'd really like to check out C'est La Veal," Quinn said with a smile.  
  
"Erm, actually, I'm here to see Daria," Tom explained.  
  
Quinn giggled. "Oh, don't be silly. Now, if we..."  
  
"Tom? What are you doing here?"  
  
Tom and Quinn both turned to the stairs to see Daria walking down them.  
  
"Hi, Daria! I just came round to see how you are."  
  
Daria looked at Quinn. "Don't you have to organise your nail polish collection or something?"  
  
Quinn looked between Tom and Daria and said "Whatever," before going back upstairs.  
  
With Quinn gone, Daria turned her attention back to Tom.  
  
“I just thought I’d come over and see if you wanted to hang out, maybe get something to eat,” Tom explained, “Unless you’ve got something planned already, of course.”  
  
Daria hesitated for a moment. “Well, I was planning on washing my hair today, but I suppose I can fit lunch in somewhere,” she said, stepping out of the house.

* * *

  
  
  
Tom and Daria sat in the car, going for a drive around various areas of Lawndale. Daria was surprised to see Tom just turn up at the house, but he was interesting company to her. Intelligent, well read and, as much as she actually hated to admit it, she thought he was kind of cute as well.  
  
“So, do you always turn up at a girl’s house the day after you meet them?” she asked.  
  
“Only if they aren’t frightfully tedious, dull and self absorbed,” Tom replied.  
  
“I’ll take that as a complement, then.”  
  
Eventually, they arrived at their destination, ‘Do Me a Donut’. Tom parked the car and the two of them got out and made their way to the door. Tom opened it and motioned Daria to go on in.  
  
“After you,” he said.  
  
“Next you’ll be putting your cape over a puddle of water for me,” she said with a smirk as she went in.  
  
“Sorry, I left my cape at home. Maybe next time,” Tom replied as he followed her.  
  
After each getting a sandwich and some coffee, the two of them sat down in one of the booths. Daria looked at her sandwich with some trepidation.  
  
“Nothing but the finest, barely edible beef,” she said, before taking a bite out of it.  
  
Tom shrugged as he picked up his own sandwich. “I need to live dangerously every now and then, I guess.”  
  
“That would explain you being at The Zon by yourself last night,” Daria replied.  
  
The two of them finished their sandwiches and sat for a while.  
  
“So, why here and not Cluster Burger or that pizza place you were talking about?” Tom asked.  
  
“Too many people I know there, and not enough evacuation points,” she replied.  
  
Tom noticed a newspaper on the table next to them and picked it up, reading a story on the front page.  
  
“You said you go to Lawndale High, right?” Tom asked.  
  
“Unfortunately,” Daria replied, “Why?”  
  
Tom read the story out loud. “’Lawndale High Wins Big’. Lawndale High came out on top at the recent East Maryland track meet for the first time in 11 years. Some stellar performances by the newest addition to the team, Jane Lane, ensured Lawndale High came out on top. This result will ensure Lawndale High’s team makes the state meet later this year.”  
  
Daria fidgeted uncomfortably at hearing Jane’s name.  
  
“Daria? Are you all right?” Tom asked.  
  
Daria sighed. “Jane’s my friend. Well, was my friend. We kind of fell out.”  
  
Tom just looked and listened.  
  
“We were never joiners, but she decided to try for the track team because of a guy she liked on there. She was my only friend, and I got snippy with her because I was seeing a lot less of her, and she ranted at me about sniping at people for joining in.”  
  
Tom took a sip of his coffee. “So what happened then?”  
  
“I tried to apologize to her a few times, but she just blew me off. She hasn’t spoken to me for weeks,” Daria continued, sipping her own coffee, “It was actually her brother Trent who talked me into going to The Zon last night.”  
  
“I’m glad he did,” Tom replied with a smile.  
  
Daria looked at him and actually smiled slightly herself. “Yeah, I’m glad too.”  
  
The two of them finished their coffee and headed for the exit. Tom once again opened the door for Daria and the two of them got into his car.  
  
“Thanks for agreeing to come out with me, Daria,” Tom said.  
  
“Um, no problem,” Daria replied, slightly nervously.  
  
“I like you, and I’d like to get to know you,” Tom said as he started the car, “Would you be interesting in hanging out again sometime?”  
  
Daria hesitated slightly before responding. “Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that.”

* * *

  
  
  
  
Daria rubbed her temples as she made her way to her locker. It had been a frustrating day and she was in a foul mood. All day, she’d had to put up with questions about this ‘cute, rich’ guy she’d been out with. She was used to being an outcast who was ignored by most people, and now she was the center of attention and she hated it. She was certain that Quinn must’ve mentioned it to her fellow fashion fiends, and the gossip had spread like wildfire. She'd deal with her sister later, but for now, she was just glad school was over for the day. As she opened her locker, she heard a familiar drawl.  
  
“Well, well, Morgendorffer. Word on the street is you’ve been prowling around town with some rich guy.”  
  
Daria knew it was Jane. She briefly glanced at her, noticing her wearing the track outfit before returning her attention to her locker, her frustration rising even further.  
  
“Can I get a word here?” Jane asked.  
  
Daria turned to look at her again. “Excuse me?”  
  
“Out with it, Morgendorffer! What happened?” Jane said, a wicked smile on her face.  
  
Daria glared at Jane and felt her annoyance boiling over. “What happened? What do you care what happened?”  
  
Jane looked shocked. “Daria! What’s the matter with you?”  
  
“What’s the matter with me? What’s the matter with you?” Daria said, “I was a jerk about the whole track team thing, I admitted it and tried to apologize to you several times and you completely blew me off. Now, I meet a guy at a Spiral gig who isn’t a total jerk, we hang out a couple of times and now you want to talk to me? Now you want to be all friendly with me and act like nothing happened between us?”  
  
Jane was completely taken aback by Daria’s anger. “Daria, I...”  
  
Daria slammed her locker shut and scowled at Jane. “Go to hell, Lane!” she said as she turned and stomped away.  
  
“Daria! Daria, wait!” Jane called after her, but it was no good, she was gone.  
  
Evan walked up behind Jane and put his arm around her waist. “Hey, what was that all about?”  
  
Jane was quiet for a moment before speaking. “I pissed her off. I asked about a date she went on and she got angry and left.”  
  
“I don’t know why you bother with her anyway,” Evan said, “You’ve got new friends now. There’s no point wasting your time on her. She’s just jealous of your success.”  
  
Jane said nothing, and just continued staring in the direction Daria had stormed off in.  
  
“Come on,” Evan said, kissing her cheek, “We need to get to practice. You know what a bitch Morris is when people are late.”  
  
“Yeah, OK,” Jane said with a sigh as she and Evan walked off to the track.


End file.
